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Thursday, October 30, 2014

It has begun! Fourteen years
after a catastrophic disaster, the world has regained its balance with the help
of the Primortus. They have secretly walked amongst us since the beginning of
time, protecting the earth with the power of the elements. When a fourteen-year-old
girl is given two mysterious gifts from a father she never knew, she is drawn
into their dangerous world of magic.

She must learn to wield the power
of the Eleventh Elementum to survive. With the help of Will (her best friend),
his cousin and her new stepsister, she seeks out the evil that threatens New
Zealand. But a black-eyed stranger is watching their every move. Now, two
powerful beings will battle one another and the outcome will determine our way
of life.

About the Author
J.L. Bond and Val Richards met in college in
Clarksville Tennessee, where Val excelled in Math and J.L excelled in creative
ways to talk Val out of going to class. A few years later…okay, more than a
few, they found themselves living about an hour away from one another in Florida
and joined forces to write the Primortus Chronicles, YA fantasy- adventure
series. Nowadays, J.L. likes to remind Val that Math isn’t necessary for
writing.

AN INVITATION TO BREATHECatastrophe or no catastrophe, if you are unhinged, disoriented, suffocating, or otherwise generally dragging, I'm inviting you to pull up a chair at this table . . .Breathing Room is a beautiful release of self-condemnation, a discovery of the rest that comes when we offer ourselves some space to breathe. Vulnerable and winsome, Leeana Tankersley shows you how to stop beating yourself up, how to be radically on your own team, and how to truly experience grace. If you've been putting on a strong front and yet are secretly coming apart, you'll find in these pages a trusted friend.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Buy direct from the publisher today!My Thoughts:If anyone is their own worst enemy, it's me. I've been my enemy for years and years. I could never do anything right, I was never pretty enough, I constantly reminded myself of my failures and sins. The description above is from on the back of the book, and it is an accurate description. 'Breathing Room is a book about coming apart and coming back together again.'Tankersley does two amazing things with this piece. First, she holds our hand and walks us into the idea of being our own best friend. Women folk, isn't that just the truth? We say horrible things about ourselves, internally and externally, that we would NEVER say to our best friend. So why on earth is it okay for us to say them to ourselves?? The simplicity comes right out of the book and smacks you in the face. The second thing I thought Tankersley does well was to share the importance, and normalcy, of losing it for 'small' reasons. Sometimes there doesn't need to be a 'big' life change (death, loss of job, pet, etc)for a person to lose it. Sometimes life just builds up and up and up until...well, until you are quite lost.

Catastrophe or no catastrophe, if you are unhinged, disoriented, suffocating, or otherwise generally dragging, I'm inviting you to pull up a chair at this table.

It doesn't really matter to me what the outside of your life looks like. If the inside of you is struggling, this is your book, baby. I'm your girl. (pg 15)

It was a blessing to feel normal for feeling lost and confused for no real reason, other than life. I think many a mom could use this reminder. Heck, any WOMAN could use this reminder. It is okay to take time for yourself and find some spiritual whitespace.

'Breathing Room' is getting 5 stars from me and I am labeling it with a label of 'immediate re-read'. I know Tankersley's message is one that will get forgotten by me again and again. And again and again I will need her reminders. If you like vulnerable, honest authors who are encouraging and truth-revealing, 'Breathing Room' is for you!

PS: Check out this podcast Leeana Tankersley did with Kathi Lipp. Its a fun introduction to the author and her message!!

The explosive conclusion to the series reviewers have likened to Ender’s Game and “Hogwarts-in-Space”

This exhilarating, explosive, and heartrending conclusion to the Insignia trilogy brings Tom and his intelligent, passionate, and brave young friends stunning tests and dangerous confrontations and through to an impossible future they could never have predicted.

Tom Raines and his friends are eager to return to the Pentagonal Spire to continue training for the elite Intrasolar Forces, but they soon discover troubling changes: strict new regulations and the revelation that the Spire is under new military control. What begins as an irritating adjustment soon reveals a dangerous shift in reality. Those now in control are aligned with corporate sponsors and their ruthless agendas. And when the military academy begins welcoming new cadets with suspicious neural processors, the first step in a plan with horrifying worldwide ramifications, Tom is desperate to stop it, even if that means keeping secrets from his closest allies.

Then a mysterious figure, the other ghost in the machine, begins fighting against the corporations, but with methods even Tom finds shocking. And when the enemy comes for Tom, how much can Tom endure in the battle to save himself? He must decide if he can still fight when the odds of success seem to be sliding from his grip.

You can purchase CATALYST at the following Retailers:

Book Nerd Spotlight

S.J. Kincaid was born in Alabama, grew up in California, and attended high school in New Hampshire, but it was while living beside a haunted graveyard in Scotland, that she realized that she wanted to be a writer. Her debut, Insignia, came out in July of 2012. The second book in the series, Vortex came out in July of 2013. The final book in the INSIGNIA trilogy will come out in Fall of 2014.

Two months have passed since Ember Lyons
nearly died killing the powerful Root Demon threatening the Los Angeles
Gateway. Physically healed, images of the day still haunt her and she can no
longer access the power she once wielded. She can't talk about it with anyone
at The Institute--not even her handsome, demon-hunting boyfriend, Taren.
Besides there are bigger things to worry about: Gateways around the world are
weakening, Keepers' Marks are fading, escaped lesser demons are populating Los
Angeles, and it looks like the Root Demon wasn't alone.

When the Institute sends Ember and a team to Europe, she hopes to find answers
and security on the journey, but another attempt on her life reminds her she's
never really safe.

Then she's thrust together with the mysterious Alexander. Ember can't be sure
if this charismatic man is her most formidable enemy or greatest ally. Either
way, she needs him, because he's the only one who can bring her to... the
Chasm.

Ember was only trying to keep a promise when she jumped into the demon world.
But instead of saving Cole and his people, she found herself just as trapped as
they are. She lives and learns with the Daemon survivors while the demon threat
grows every day.

Meanwhile Taren struggles with his guilt for not stopping Ember. He’s desperate
to know she’s alive, but there's been no sign of her except in his own vivid
dreams.

As they struggle to reconnect, the Gateways around the world weaken, and the
demons begin to amass for war. The end is near and Ember must face her fears if
she has any hope of saving the world – or herself.

Christina Garner began writing stories at the age of six. Her
first–about a young girl who busted up a nefarious ring of furniture
thieves–was a huge hit with her mother. At eighteen, her aspirations as an
actor had her loading up her Buick and setting off for Hollywood. Since then,
she has written and directed 10 short films, including Rewind and Reminder,
both of which received acclaim on the festival circuit. In 2006, she began
writing screenplays. A year later, she even got paid for one. In May of 2011,
her debut novel, Gateway, became an Amazon Bestseller. Chasm, Book 2 in The
Gateway Trilogy, did the same.

When she’s not writing novels,
Christina spends her time working in the movie business, traveling, watching
Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, and playing with her dog, Griffin.